


Faltered

by heyystiles



Category: Deception (TV 2018)
Genre: ( will add more as I go ) - Freeform, Angst, Gen, Head Injury, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 02:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14510451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyystiles/pseuds/heyystiles
Summary: 5 times Cameron Black got hurt, and the 1 time it was Jonathan instead.(Collab with IceQueen1)





	Faltered

**Author's Note:**

> y'all already knew this was happening do I even need to explain lmao
> 
> (also don't worry, i'm still working on ace of spades, i'm just jumping back and forth between that and this)
> 
> disclaimer - anything you recognize, does not belong to me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sidenote: chapters one and two are tied in with each other, but cover different aspects of the same accident

Sixteen year old Cameron Black had only ever heard the expression ‘gotten your  _ bell rung’  _ once before, but never realized the true extent of how awful that could potentially be.

 

_ Well— wonder no longer, idiot. _

 

With a flourish of his hands as the audience applause slowed, Sebastian Black ushered his son into the coffin shaped compartment from which he’d make his ‘daring escape’ and latched the door shut. Jonathan was already in position, so all Cameron would have to do is flip the small lever on the hidden trap door and drop down onto the safety mat below the stage.

 

_ Easy enough. _

 

Latch the door, flip the lever, drop to the mat.

 

_ Latch the door, flip the lever, drop to the mat. _

 

**_Latch the door—_ ** two deep breaths and suddenly Cameron was enveloped in darkness. Fingers slick with sweat fumbled for the latch and Cameron’s stomach dropped, as if somehow,  _ he knew  _ this trick wouldn’t turn out right.

 

**_Flip the lever—_ ** his other hand grasping for purchase on a lever that somehow didn’t seem to exist, Cameron’s chest tightened.  _ No no no no- where is it? _

 

**_Drop to the mat_ ** **—**

 

“Ladies and gentlemen _ —  let’s see what my boy’s been up to.” _

 

**_NO!_ **

 

In a flurry of panicked motions, Cameron finally managed to unlatch the trap door, dropping below stage as the panel sprung back up into place and Sebastian opened the door.

 

_ Only Cameron didn’t stop moving after hitting the mat… _

 

First, his left foot came down  _ hard. _

 

But before his right foot was able to correct the misstep, his left ankle buckled, sending Cameron sprawling backwards and off of the mat _ — slamming head first into the concrete floor beneath the stage. _

 

And a world full of color was suddenly swallowed by darkness.

 

\---

 

 _“C’m— Camr-n_ – **_Cameron!_** ”

 

A few harsh shakes later and Cameron sucked in a breath, jolting awake.

 

_ “Jesus Christ, Cam _ –  _ you scared the shit outta me-”  _ Jonathan’s voice could be heard from a few feet or so away, as well as the distant grumbling of an argument between Sebastian Black and a stagehand.

 

_ “Wh– h’ppen’d–?” _

 

The words came out slurred and Jonathan’s stomach dropped at the thought of the extent of his brother’s injury, but he persisted in attempting to keep Cameron awake. The  _ last  _ thing they needed right now was for Cam to pass out again.

 

“You hit your head, dumbass.”

 

It was said  _ with love  _ of course, but Cameron couldn’t help the rush of embarrassment flooding his system, that was quickly overpowered by the most persistent nausea he had ever experienced in his life.

 

Stomach rolling, the injured Black twin sat up suddenly, the motion only aggravating it even more, before turning to lean on his elbow and let go of whatever it was he had decided to have eaten for breakfast that morning.

 

What  _ was  _ it?  **Cameron couldn’t even remember.**

 

All he knew in this moment was  _ pain. _

 

A sharp, stabbing pain behind each of his eyes.

 

A dull, heavy pain concentrated at the point of impact, the base of his skull.

 

And a bubbling, burning pain that sat uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach.

 

 _Oh right,_ **orange juice.** _No wonder it burned._

 

Jonathan winced in sympathy as Cameron threw up, only glancing away to see if their father had noticed the worsening of his other son’s condition. Unfortunately, the opposite proved to be true as Sebastian Black continued to argue with the overworked stagehand about what  _ should have been  _ his son’s injury, but turned out to actually be their near failed trick and bored, disappointed audience.

 

Distracted by the persistent arguing, Jonathan didn’t notice Cameron’s fluttering eyelids until it was too late, and his brother was once again plunged into unconsciousness.

 

\---

 

The world came back to Cameron Black in smells this time.

 

Well,  _ one smell really. _

 

**Antiseptic.**

 

Wrinkling his nose in disgust involuntarily, Cameron blinked awake in a lazy attempt to regain his vision and determine his obviously new location.

 

The lights overhead, however, were ridiculously bright, and Cameron squeezed his eyes shut in response before a voice could be heard from a few feet away, “Oh, here– I’ll get the lights for you, sweetheart,” and the harsh white fluorescence was no more.

 

Opening his eyes a bit more hesitantly this time, Cameron looked around as his vision slowly but surely adjusted to now dimly lit room, spotting a nurse standing nearby, jotting a few things down on a clipboard.

_ “Wh- what’s–  _ where..  _ Hm-” _

 

Whatever sentence Cameron had tried to form in his head came out garbled and unfinished and the nurse’s expression softened as a result.

 

“You’re in the hospital, Cameron.”

 

A sluggish blink in reply.  **_(_ ** – _ wait, how’d she know my name? What’s going on-  _ **_)_ **

 

“You’ve got a pretty nasty concussion, so we’re gonna keep you here for a bit– keep an eye on you. Just in case.”

 

Glancing downward for a moment, Cameron’s brow furrowed in confusion.  **_(_ ** _ In case what? Where’s Johnny _ –  **_)_ **

 

Not paying much attention to Cameron’s clearly concussed behavior, the nurse continued on, explaining that Sebastian would return to pick him up after the hospital was ready to discharge him, and that she was  _ actually a pretty big fan of their magic act,  _ oh and–

 

“Your father told me to remind you to call home,  _ I’m sure he wants to know how you’re feeling…”  _ Stepping toward the bedside phone she lifted it from the receiver and began dialing the number Cameron now noticed had been jotted down in pen onto his own forearm.

 

Apparently not wanting to intrude upon his private conversation, the nurse placed the phone onto the bed next to Cameron before leaving the room with a gentle smile and a soft ‘ _ If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to use this’  _ as she gestured to the call button.

 

Still awfully puzzled by the interaction that had just transpired, Cameron perked up at the sudden sound of his brother’s voice in his ear.

 

_ “Hello–?” _

 

“J’hnny-”

 

_ “Cam! Hey _ –  _ you feelin’ alright?” _

 

“–‘s he m’d?”

 

_ “Say that again, man– can’t really hear you.” _

 

Deep down Jonathan _had_ known what his brother had said.

 

“Dad–  _ ‘ _ s he  _ a- angry a’ me _ , J’hnny?”

 

A pause.

 

_ “ _ – _ don’t worry about it, Cam.” _


End file.
